


"Whatever it takes."

by stevetiny



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Heavy Angst, M/M, Multi, No Fluff, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Sacrifice, Vormir
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 15:52:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18831814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevetiny/pseuds/stevetiny
Summary: Instead of Clint and Natasha, Steve and Tony go to Vormir to retrieve the soul stone.





	"Whatever it takes."

**VORMIR**

 

**2014**

 

As Steve stood on top of a small sand dune his body was tense and vigilant. He gazed upwards, scanning the surroundings of this unknown planet. The sky was a starless blend of blue and purple hues with the only source of light being a mellow orange sun consumed by the moon. A full eclipse. With heavy eyes, he gripped the handles of his shield tighter and glanced behind him.

 

Tony was about two arms lengths away as he stared at the base of the mountain. His arms were crossed defensively over his chest and he had an indignant scowl spread across his lips. When he looked back up at Steve, there were still traces of resentment evident in his dark eyes. They were cold and uninviting even more so than the planet. Steve remembered what his eyes used to look like, what his eyes used to make him feel. Before they argued, before they fought, before the video.

 

Before Siberia.

 

Steve took a deep breath in, clearing his thoughts, “This has to work.” His usually confident and firm voice was wobbly, “The stone… must be up there... It has to be… It is.” They had to focus on the task at hand. Getting the soul stone. That was it.

 

Tony looked down and shook his head. He used one hand to wipe his face and brush some of his dark brown and grey curls away from his forehead. All he wanted was to get this over with. It was difficult being with Steve again. Tony had spent the last eight years trying to forget and move on. He thought he was doing a good job until he got off the Guardians' ship and saw _him_. Saw him for the first time after Siberia.

 

Every time he looked at him, let alone thought about him, his insides burned with the familiar infernal of betrayal. The feelings would then flow into an endless river of remorse before shifting into a bottomless sea of rage.

 

It was hard, but Tony knew he had to stay focused. There were more important things right now. More important than Steve and him. It was getting that stone. It was all that mattered at the moment. “This is going to work, Rogers.” He meddled with the sand below him, voice flat, “We’ll get the stone.”

 

“I know it is.” The blond nodded in agreement. His long pause only made the eerie feeling created by their surroundings worse. “Because I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t.”

 

When Tony looked up at him, his eyes were void of the resentment from before. Instead, they were replaced with strokes of a year's worth of regretful sorrow. His soft brown eyes met the burdened blue ones in front of him. Neither of them blinked for what seemed like the longest time. When Steve stole the opportunity to take a step closer, Tony quickly took one back. Brown eyes soon broke contact and went back at the sand. “We’re wasting time.” His facial expression changed and his voice went bitter.

 

Steve blinked himself out of his trance and nodded to himself. Turning ahead, he began walking towards the mountain. “Right.” He agreed. He promised himself to keep his priorities focused on the mountain ahead. Getting the soul stone was all that mattered right now. Whatever it takes.

 

Whatever it takes.

 

Tony kept his distance as he followed faintly behind him. The walk up the mountain was long, but surprisingly not difficult. Luckily, the weather was forgiving and not as harsh as either as them thought it would be. Despite the absence of life, the planet was warm. A rush of relief calmed Steve’s nerves knowing that due to this, there was no competition. No one else to fight. No struggle.

 

They followed the effortless path that was made clear by centuries or more of feet that led up to the summit. Every now and then, Steve would steal a glance behind him, just to make sure Tony was doing okay.

 

When they made their way to the top Steve paused and took in his surroundings. Most of it was eroded rocky structures that, many years ago, may have been a temple of some sort. Ahead lied a rocky dome like structure that lead farther towards the mountain. With hesitation in his steps, Tony continued forward. His eyes trailed along the rocks as his fingertips brushed down them. He held on to the long pieces extending outwards with a tight grip. He used it to keep himself from stumbling over the ancient rubble scattered across the ground.

 

A few uneasy seconds passed as Steve and Tony searched for the stone or anything that could lead them closer to it. Then, Steve heard something. He heard someone. Peeking his head up, he saw a floating hooded creature form from the shadows in front of him. Instinctively, he rushed over to Tony and pulled him behind himself.

 

Tony didn’t hesitate to smack Steve’s arm away and glare up at him. His eyes held a thousand daggers that tore their way into Steve’s chest. “Don’t… touch me.” His voice full of venom and his body tense. Ever since what happened between him and Steve, ever since Siberia, things weren’t the same.

 

Things would never be the same.

 

Steve clenched his jaw to keep himself from speaking or apologizing. As the guilt ate away at him, he forced himself to focus. He turned to the figure remaining as vigilant as possible. He had to focus on the task ahead, not Tony. They needed to get the Stone. Just the stone. That's all that mattered.

 

They could deal with their problems later.

 

Both of them stared at the figure preparing for a fight. Steve gripped the handles of his shield even tighter and Tony tapped on his arc reactor. His Iron Man armor covered only his left hand, repulsor ready.

 

 **“** Welcome, Steven, son of Joseph.” Its brittle voice echoed. Its unrecognizable face turned to Tony, “Anthony, son of Howard.”

 

“How do you know who we are?” Steve asked, he didn’t loosen the grip on his shield.

 

The figure turned its back towards the two as it went through the domed opening. “It is my curse…  to know all who journey here.”

 

Steve and Tony glanced at each other before following behind it. The hooded figure lead the two to, what Tony guessed, the inside of the temple. Or, what was left of it. The only remaining part was the uneven, broken outline of where the walls once were. There were a few wilted dark purple vines clinging on the walls.

 

Tony kept his gaze on the floating figure who went to the edge of the summit. The cloth on its cloak flowing behind it. He could feel himself becoming colder by the second as the wind became stronger. His gut started to feel uneasy. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

 

Tony whispered, his voice shaky, “Steve-”

 

“Where's the Soul Stone?” His partner’s voice was quick and it lacked all traces of patience from before.

 

“You should know… it extracts a terrible price.” It continued staring beyond the summit.

 

“ _We_ are ready.

 

 **“** We all think that at first.” The hooded figure turned and in that instant, its face was recognizable. The Red Skull peered vacantly at Steve. “We are all... _wrong_.”

 

Tony watched as the blond’s eyes flashed with disbelief before it quickly transformed into wrath, “It's _you_ .” He continued staring, brows furrowed. His body was in a defensive stance, “I don’t want to have to kill you, but I will… _we_ will if you don’t give us that stone.”

 

 _‘Whatever it takes.’_ Steve remembered.

 

The Red Skull was dismissive and indifferent about Steve’s threats. **“** I remember you in a past life, Captain Rogers. I am not who I was before.”

 

Tony pondered on the situation for a few beats before letting his guard down. It was evident that the Red Skull wasn’t the enemy here. Tony tapped on his arc reactor and his armor swiftly returned back inside. He dropped both hands to his sides and carefully walked closer to the Red Skull. He wasn’t scared of him. “How long have you been here?” Tony asked.

 

The hooded figure turned itself to him, **“** Centuries…  perhaps. Time works differently here. All I know is that a lifetime ago, I, too, sought the stones. I even held one in my hand. But…  it cast me out, banished me here. Until the end of time, I must remain here… guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess.”

 

Steve came forward and examined the semicircular engraving on the rock below his feet. As he continued, his stomach twisted when he overlooked the sheer drop. He had never been a fan of heights. He walked over to the edge and peeked his head downwards. Through the mist far below was a full circle with similar engraved decoration.

 

 **“** What you seek lies before you...” The figure loomed, “As does what you… Steven Rogers... truly fear.”

 

He shot his head up, voice firm. “Give us the stone.” He faced his old enemy, “I won’t ask again.”

 

The masked silhouette, once again, ignored Steve’s empty threats. Instead, its eyes glowered towards Stark, “The soul stone holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain... wisdom. To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power... the stone demands a sacrifice.”

 

His glare never ceased. As it continued, the longer Tony felt it burn into his soul. He glanced towards Steve uncomfortably. Something wasn’t right about this.

 

 _‘Whatever it takes.’_ Steve thought.

 

Steve sighed, submitting. “What do you need us to do?”

 

“In order to take the stone you must lose that which you love.” He never took his eyes off of Tony, “A soul… for a soul.”

 

Tony laughed bitterly, shaking his head. He did a full one eighty spin, running his hands through his hair. Sighing, he continued laughing at the irony of the situation. From the start, he knew something was going to go wrong. There was _something_ standing in the way. He always knew it. He just didn’t know it would be… _this_ . “I guess… I guess it would’ve been better if you brought your old pal _Buck_ with you.” He scoffed, his voice was still a tad bit sour. “C’mon, Cap. We’re wasting time.”

 

Steve clenched his fists as he stared over the ledge. His body was tight. He remained silent for a long while.

 

It didn’t take long before Tony’s conscience started nagging at him. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that. Bucky was dead. Died in the snap. Even after everything that had happened, Tony felt that he should have the tiniest bit of empathy.

 

He came closer and stood behind Steve, “Hey. I’m sorry.” He sighed, eyes focused on the accents of the rocks. “But Steve…” He looked up and reached his arm out but quickly stopped himself. He shoved it inside of his pocket. “We’re… we’re wasting time standing here doing nothing. We’ll find another way to get that stone.”

 

Steve looked back at Tony, tears in his eyes. “Whatever it takes, Tony…” He said, “I promised the team… whatever it takes.”

 

“Steve…” Tony’s fear took over his actions. He wasn't going to let Steve jump. He reached forward and pulled the blond's arm to bring him away from the ledge. He and his partner held hands and Tony watched as the tears slid out of his sullen blue eyes and down his face, “You are not going to jump, do you understand me?” Tony commanded,  “We’ll get the stone. Just not like this. We'll find another way. I promise you, we’ll find another way.”

 

Steve remained silent as his bottom lip started to tremble. The tears coming out of his eyes seemed never ending as he shook his head, turning away, “I’m… sorry, Tony. I’m so so sorry…”

 

Tony softly wiped them off of Steve’s face, “Wipe those tears, Cap. We’ll-”

 

The Red Skull spoke and this time his eyes locked on Tony once again, “They're not for him.” His voice quiet.

 

“I’m… so… sorry, Tony.”

 

Tony’s eyes bounced from Steve’s to the Red Skull’s, “I… I don’t understand…” He stared at the Red Skull, still confused. Then he turned back to Steve. “Steve… I don’t understand…”

 

The figure looked at Tony with the same secluded glare from before, “In order to take the stone you must lose that which you love. “A soul…for a soul.”

 

Then, it slowly rained down on him and his heart started aching when he began to realize what this meant. “You don’t mean…” Tony tried, but he felt his throat closing up. Steve stared down at him gently tightening his grip on their hands.

 

“Tony…” Steve spoke softly, desperately. His eyes swelled with tears that trailed down the brunette's hands. “We promised… I promised…”

 

Tony ripped himself away and stepped back. His eyes were frantic. It didn’t take long for what felt like brittle hands to travel down his throat and strangle him. It was hard to talk, hard to think, hard to act. His breathing soon spiraled out of control leaving him struggling for air. He felt light headed. He wanted to faint.  “No… I’m not… I can’t be.” He glared up at his past lover in a distrustful resentment. Flashes of seven years ago plagued his mind. Flashes of Siberia. “No… It’s not me… it was _never_ me... its James… it's always been James!”

 

Steve dropped his shield and it landed on the rocky ground with a loud clang. “This… this is our one shot, Tony. Our one shot to get the stones… our one shot to bring everyone back.” As he began stepping closer, he showed no signs of stopping. “We can’t mess this up. Not again. I cannot fail… again.”

 

“I’m sorry, Tony…” The tears continued sliding down his face, “ I promised them… I promised you…  I promised myself... Whatever it takes.”

 

Tears slipped from Tony's eyes too. He knew this feeling. It was branded into his heart. Eight years ago, Siberia. The sequence that will haunt his nightmares for the end of all time. Betrayal. Even after everything, Tony didn’t want to fight. He never wanted to fight to begin with. But, he had to.

 

He had to _try_.

 

He promised Pepper and he promised Morgan that he would see them again.

 

Tony attempted to tap on his arc reactor to activate his suit but Steve was faster and much stronger _._ He savagely wrenched it off of Tony’s chest and threw it on the ground. Steve then grabbed his forearm and yanked him closer with a strong grip that sent a throbbing pain up Tony’s arm.

 

Tony felt like he was suffocating. He stared tearfully down at his arc reactor trying his best to reach it, but Steve jerked him away. “NO! STEVE! LET GO OF ME!” Tony choked on his tears. He hit Steve’s arms, his chest, and he even punched him in the face, but his efforts to escape remained futile. “Steve… no… no… please… please don’t do this… we’ll find another way… ”

 

As they got closer to the edge, Tony’s eyes widened and he began screaming louder than before, “STEVE! DON’T DO THIS! WE’LL FIND ANOTHER WAY!”

 

“I HAVE A DAUGHTER!” He continued hitting Steve to make him let go, but the grip tightened. Tony let out a small whimper as the pain became unbearable. Steve said nothing as the tears continued falling from his eyes.

 

The tip of the summit starved Tony's lungs of air. It got harder to breathe, harder to fight, harder to think. With each passing second, his strength seeped from his body. He couldn’t beat Steve hand-to-hand, not without his suit, he knew that. All he could do was plead, “DON’T! PLEASE! I HAVE A KID!”

 

“I HAVE A DAUGHTER... YOU CAN'T… STEVE… SHE NEEDS ME… YOU CAN'T… PLEA-”

 

As soon as Steve and Tony reached the edge of the summit, Steve didn’t hesitate to witness what he feared most. He made the sacrifice. The sacrifice for the greater good.

 

“STEVE! NO!”

 

_‘Whatever it takes.’_

 

Steve watched with his eyes full of sorrow as Tony fell to his death. During the final seconds of his life, Tony cried out for him. He had his arm extended above him as if he was reaching out for Steve to save him from his soon to be unavoidable fate.  

 

Then the screaming stopped.

 

Blue eyes soaked up the horrific image of Tony’s broken body lying lifelessly inside the circle on the rock below. His brown eyes, once full of laughter and life, were dead, vacant. His cracked skull soon started oozing out an increasingly large pool of thick red blood.

 

“T-Tony…”

 

Then, a larger than life streak of light pulsed overhead. Steve turned towards the Red Skull wondering if _this_ is it. If he did it right. If he would finally get the stone. The figure stood by the edge in an eerie silence, nodding his head in slow approval. “What you seek… lies before you… A soul....” His brittle voice repeated once again, his purpose coming to an end, “For a soul...”

 

The blond was overwhelmed by a bright streak of light that burned his corneas. He closed his eyes in agony and then in an instant, he woke up in a shallow pool of water by the base of the mountain. He sat up searching for the stone until he felt something in his hand.

 

His face flooded with tears of relief as he lifted his hand out of the water. In front of him lied the bright orange soul stone. He was happy for a few blissful seconds before the bleak sea of guilt consumed him. He started screaming into his hands. He screamed until his voice went hoarse and cried until his eyes throbbed. He sat there like a small, neglected child and pulled his knees to his chest. “T-Tony… T-Tony…”

 

“Tony…”

 

_Tony._

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is much appreciated. Thank you for reading. :)


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